Democracy, jazz and fake guns

There’s not much to brag about if you live in Foster City. To prove that point, the city council made news touting its healthy reserve and strategic evaluation of worker wages and benefits. It was the city’s response to a San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury report on escalating employee costs, which among other things recommended cities create a two-tier retirement and health care benefits system for new hires. Mayor John Kiramis kindly told the grand jury to butt out. “I respect the authority and the tremendous service the grand jury provides,” Kiramis said. “Having said that, I am somewhat perplexed as to why they assume the duty and responsibility of questioning what cities decide to pay their hard-working employees.”


…So call someone who cares….The Sequoia Healthcare District agreed with four of five of the San Mateo County civil grand jury’s recommendations in a report about the district’s finances and management.


Police are searching for a man who used a fake handgun to hold up a Subway sandwich shop in Redwood City Monday. He got away with a small amount of cash, but left the “gun” behind.


Downtown Burlingame merchants are pleading for art and jazz lovers (or even those who hate art and jazz) to consume at least $30 grand worth of wine, art and jazz this weekend at the 17th annual Burlingame Art & Jazz Festival. It’s the last ditch effort to save the group’s popular holiday, tree-lighting and carnival event in December.


Democracy is at its finest in Menlo Park. The City Council ordered the removal of a “no trespassing” sign at the entrance of the Linfield Oaks development after residents complained over and over again that the sign bans them from a public pathway at Linfield Drive and Morgan Lane.


The Palo Alto Chamber is teaming up with a group of small businesses to fight a new tax that the city council has placed on the November ballot. The group has decided to go with an original and catchy name: Small Business Against Tax.


First, they sign of on $15 million to renovate Garland Elementary School, now Palo Alto school district is backing away from plans to re-open the school at all. They gave us the same old tired excuse about budget uncertainties.


Thanks to the Friends of the Lytton Plaza, the “shabby but prominent” gateway to Palo Alto's main retail strip is getting a makeover…news trees, new lighting and fountains. The group raised $348,800 for the project.


Seems like downtown Palo Alto could use some friends of its own. Retail vacancies in the downtown core are at 10 percent, an all time high.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula-news/ci_13002659


Two Menlo Park City Council members had some advice for SamTrans: why not try to increase ridership instead of cut bus service. Duh.


And if all this talk about government and democracy has made you want to run for office….tomorrow is your last day to register as a candidate for some of those Coastside public offices.